Safe
by CassieMarie2015
Summary: What were Byron and Ella Montgomery thinking while they were waiting to hear if Aria was rescued from the dollhouse and how did they react when they got to see their daughter again. Slight EZRIA mention but mainly told through Bryon and Ella's POV. Enjoy! (Set during end of 6x01)
1. Chapter 1

Byron and Ella Montgomery were more nervous than they have ever remember being in their lives.

The last three weeks for them had been absolute hell. Waiting to hear any information on where Aria and her friends were. They both knew that Toby and Tanner had been working around the clock, as well as most of the Rosewood PD and that they were getting closer, but neither of them would really feel at ease until their daughter was safe in their arms again.

The parents of all the girls had stuck together for the most part, trying to put two and two together and figure out what could have happened but sometimes the worry would get the best of them and they would spend days in their homes, glued to the phones and the news hoping for something. Ashley at one point had to be hospitalized because she got so bad. She was later released and had been staying with the Hastings.

Caleb and Ezra too had been helping the investigation as much as they could. While Byron and Ella still were not the biggest fans of Aria and Ezra together, they had been impressed by Ezra's dedication to help bring their daughter home.

During one of the countless nights that Byron and Ella lay awake, the two had talked about their relationship at length and had decided that now that Aria was 18 and had gone through more in the past 2 years than most people had to go through in a lifetime, who were they to stop them from being together if they wanted to be.

That is if Aria came home.

They tried to stay positive but doubt always crept in and brought them back to the worst case scenario.

Last they had heard, they knew the girls were alive, just no one had any idea where they were.

Currently, Ella was nursing a cup of tea while Bryan paced the living room in front of the fireplace. Toby and Ezra had just called, saying they had a very good hunch where the girls were and were on their way there with police back up. They had begged to let them come along. They wanted to get their hands on their daughter as soon as possible.

Toby assured they that he would let them know as soon as he could what was going on and where to meet them. Toby also didn't want them to be disappointed incase they were being led on a goosechase by Andrew and they had to start the process of looking for them all over again.

He did say if they found them they would probably be taken to a hospital. Ella didn't want to think about what Aria possibly has been going through and how much recovery it was going to take to get her back to normal, not that any of them really knew what normal was anymore. The fact that she would need medical attention, made her want to breakdown into tears.

So while they wouldn't get to be there the minute Aria was found, they had to be okay with the fact that Ezra would be there and that he would take care of her until they had a chance to see her.

The minutes seemed to pass like hours as they waited for news.

Both of them nearly jumped out of their skins when Byron's cell phone rang. Bryon answered, immediately putting it on speaker.

"Hello," they both said.

They were met with silence for a few moments before, "Mom … dad?" came out of the phone, barly louder than a whisper.

Ella immediately had tears streaming down her face. Byron was trying to hold them back but wasn't doing all that well.

"Aria?" Ella quietly said, almost not wanting to spook her daughter.

"Yea … it's me." Ella could hear the tears that she's sure were falling down Aria's face. She could also hear how tired she was. Understandable after everything she had been through.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Bryon said.

"Yea, I'm okay, just tired. It's so good to hear your voice."

"It's so good to hear your voice too baby."

"They are going to take us to the hospital. I think they want us to stay for a few days to check us out."

"What hospital? We'll meet you there."

"Rosewood Community."

There was a moment of silence, both parties trying not to get overwhelmed with tears.

"We're so glad that you're okay Aria. We love you so much."

"I love you guys too." Aria said, Byron and Ella hearing her voice crack, trying not to cry. "I can't wait to see you."

"Oh sweetheart you have no idea how much we can't wait to see you. How are all the other girls?"

"Physically, we're all okay, not great, but okay. Mentally, that's another story. We're all more tired than anything."

"Well we're just glad you guys are safe. Are they letting Ezra go to the hospital with you? We don't want you alone."

"Yea. Don't worry. I don't think Ezra will let me out of his sight until i'm with you guys."

"Good. He's holding up his end of the deal."

"I'm not even gonna ask," Aria said with a laugh. Ella and Byron almost broke down in tears again being able to hear Aria laugh.

"They are ready to load me into the ambulance, so i'll let you guys go. I'll see you at the hospital?"

"Of course honey. We love you. Can you hand the phone off to Ezra real quick?"

"Yea. Love you guys."

There was a brief pause before Ezra answered. "Hey guys."

"Thank you Ezra, for everything."

"Not a problem. There isn't anything I wouldn't do to see Aria safe."

"We know. We know we should have known that all along. We'll see you guys soon."

"Yep, see you soon." Then they hung up.

During the phone call, Ella and Byron hadn't noticed that they had ended up clinging to each other. Ella had Byron's shirt balled up in her fist and there were wet spots where she had her face curled up in his chest crying. He had one hand holding the phone and the other protectively wound around her waist. The two looked at eachother for a moment before a smile appeared on both of their faces. Bryon wrapped his other arm around his ex-wife and pulled her closer to him. After everything that they had just gone through, the reasons that they broke up, didn't seem that important anymore. What was important now was helping their daughter heal after what happened and to raise their children … together.

"Let's go get our baby girl." Bryon said before planting a quick kiss on her lips.

"Let's" Ella said as she took Byron's outstretched hand that lead her out of the house and to the car.

* * *

The scene at the hospital was a mad house. All of the parents, along with Allsion's were in the waiting room. Police were everywhere trying to keep the media at bay. News had spread fast that the girls had been found and this is where they had been taken.

Byron and Ella went straight up to Veronica to try and figure out where the girls were.

"Are they here yet?"

"Yea, they are all back in emergency getting evaluated. The doctors promised to get all the necessary things done as soon as possible and get them into rooms where we can all see them."

"Should we be allowed to go back now? They shouldn't be alone through all of this." Byron almost yelled.

"They're not alone. I know Ezra was allowed to stay with Aria and each of the other girls have someone. They just don't want to overwhelm them with a ton of people back there. More people in the way would delay the process."

Ella put her hand on Bryon's chest and he looked down at her. They locked eyes and together took a deep breath. Their daughter was here getting checked out and they would get to see her soon. Ezra was with her, so they knew she was being taken care of. That's all they could ask for right now.

The waiting room was tense as the time went by. Eventually, a doctor came out and headed straight for the anxious group of parents. He was immediately bombarded with questions and had to wait for a moment for them all to calm down before he could start to talk.

"Physically, all of the girls are fine aside from some malnourishment and dehydration. We are going to keep all of them here for a few days to give them some antibiotics and just keep a watchful eye on them. They are all being moved to rooms right now. They refused to be moved unless they were all near each other"

"That sounds like our girls." Veronica said with a smile, getting a laugh from the others.

"Yes, they were very adamant. As soon as we have them settled you all can see them. For now we're asking that only immediate family be allowed in, the exception being the 4 that came in with the girls. You guys can head up to the 4th floor and the nurses will direct you all to a more private waiting room."

Words of thanks were directed at the doctor as he left the room.

The parents all made their way to the elevator and were silent on the ride up. There was a nurse waiting for them when they got off and they were directed towards a waiting room at the end of the hall.

It was a short time later they they one by one were told their daughters were ready and in their rooms.

Bryon and Ella were scared what they were going to find when they opened the door to Aria's room. Inside, they found their daughter sitting up in bed, hooked up to an I.V., talking to Ezra who was sitting next to her in a chair, hold her hand. Both of their heads snapped up in their direction when they heard the door open.

Aria, Byron and Ella had instant tears in their eyes when they saw each other. Ella ran straight to her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. Ezra stepped back and allowed Byron to hug Aria from the other side.

Minutes went by before the family let go of wiped the tears from her eyes and was finally able to get a good look at her daughter. Aside from the dark circles under her eyes and slight look that she had lost some weight, she didn't look too bad.

"We have so many questions …." Ella started to say but Aria interrupted.

"Can we talk about all of that later. I'm tired and the meds they gave me are making me a little loopy." Aria said as she laid down.

"Of course honey. You get some rest. We can talk later." Ella said softly as she tucked the blankets up closer to her, being careful of her I.V. and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Byron nodded to her and Ezra to follow his right outside of the room.

"Ezra we wanted to thank for everything you've done over the last few weeks. Veronica clued us in one all the work you, Caleb and Toby have been doing. Who knows if they would have been found so quickly without your help." Ella said.

"No worries. I hope i've begun to prove to you that I would do anything for Aria."

"You have. We have been talking and we've decided we're not going to stand in your way anymore. We can see how happy you make her and we can't ignore that you were there for her in times when we couldn't be. After all of this, we can't deny her that. So you have our blessing."

"I don't know what to say." Ezra was shocked. He had no idea this was coming.

"Just say you'll keep her safe."

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure nothing bad happens to her."

Byron reached out for a handshake, which Ezra enthusiastically returned. Ella pulled him in for a hug and Ezra couldn't wipe the smile off this face. The three then looked back into the room where Aria was fast asleep, looking at peace for what they guessed was the first time in weeks.

Their girl was safe. They had a long road to go but right now Aria was safe and happy. Everything else could wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Back by popular demand and I needed to write something where I don't want to punch Ezra in the face every five seconds like I do on the show right now. PLL is frustrating me like crazy and this story is my way of dealing with that.

Enjoy!

She was back in the dollhouse, in her room, or what looked like her room. Unlike her room at her house, this place didn't have real windows and the closet was just a brick wall. There were no pictures of her friends or family or of Ezra around her. This was nothing like her home. She was curled up in a ball in her bed, too scared to sleep because when she was asleep, she wasn't in control. Images flashed through her head of things that Charles had made her do. Waking up day with most of her hair cut off … having to choose which of the girls would get food or water or tortured. There were days when she refused to do what he wanted so she was the one who went without food or water. She hadn't seen or heard any of the other girls in what felt like days.

In all reality, she didn't know how many days she had been by herself.

She knew the lights the filtered in the windows was fake, for all she knew they had kept her awake for days on end or making her sleep more often making it seem like more days had gone past.

Aria wondered if she was ever going to get out of this place. She wondered if she was ever going to fix this situation with Ezra.

She had been thinking alot about him to get her through the long endless days. All she wanted was to tell him how stupid she was being when she said she wanted to be single when she went to college. She wanted to be back safe in his arms with her head tucked under his chin, with his strong arms wrapped around her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door to her room slowly opening. She backed herself up closer to the wall, drawing the blankets closer to her. Her worst fear was met when a figure walked in wearing a black hoodie and a mask.

She instantly started hyper ventilating as the figure got closer and closer …

"Don't come near me …. Please …. Please …. Leave me alone!"

"Aria ….. ARIA …"

Aria jumped and quickly looked around. It took her a few moments to realize she wasn't in the dollhouse, it was all just a dream and that she was safe. She was in the hospital with her parents and Ezra, looking scared at her sudden reaction. Her parents were at the end of the bed, holding onto each other while Ezra sat on the edge of the right side of the bed. He had come for her and saved her and gotten her back home. She looked up at him and she could see in his eyes that all he wanted to do was hold her hand and take away all the hurt that she had been through and she wished she could let him. All she wanted to do was finally be able to tell someone everything and start to put this nightmare behind her, but another part of her wanted to protect Ezra and her parents from the horrors that had been her life for the past three weeks.

"You're safe .. you're in the hospital … no one is coming for you." Ezra said to her, barely above a whisper as if not to scare her.

Silence filled the room as Aria tried to decide what she wanted to do.

"Mom, dad …." Aria called out to them. They quickly made their way to her side, her mom grabbing her hand, tracing small circles on the back of her hand.

"What do you need sweetheart?" Byron said.

"Do you think I could have a few minutes with Ezra?"

Ella and Byron looked over to Ezra, who looked just as shocked as they felt.

"Of course sweetheart. We'll be right outside." Ella said before her and Byron made their way out of the room.

Ezra and Aria were silent for awhile. Ezra, giving Aria the time she needed to figure out how she wanted to continue. Aria was curled up into a ball at the top of the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were straight ahead, not being able to look Ezra in the eyes for fear of breaking down. She couldn't do that yet. She had to get this out.

"How are you doing?" Ezra said.

"I have no idea … Every time I try to sleep or close my eyes I see things. Things that I feel like I will never be able to forget. I don't know how I am ever going to get over this. When I do fall asleep, it's like it's so real, it's like i'm right back there."

"I don't know what to say to make you feel better." Ezra softly said as moved closer to her on the bed.

Aria slowly unclenched and moved her hand to the bed. Ezra grabbed her small hand in both of his. She took a few deep breaths and finally met his gaze. The two shared a smile.

Byron and Ella kept a close watch on their daughter from outside. Her and Ezra weren't talking but he was holding her hand and smiling, something they hadn't seen from her since they walked into her room.

"It's like I am happy that she's happy, but I wish we were the ones to be able to help her." Byron spoke quietly.

"We will be able to help her." Ella responded, "This is going to be a group effort to get everything back to some kind of normal. If him being here and getting her to open up is what it takes to start the process then, i'm all for it." The two shared a smile.

"How is she doing?" Veronica said from behind them as she walked up with two cups of coffee.

"Thank you. She's doing okay. She just woke up from a nightmare. She asked to talk to just Ezra but seems to be doing okay." Ella said turning to look back at Aria and Ezra in the room. She could see that Aria was talking to him now. Tear were running down both of their faces.

"He's amazing with her. Seeing how hard him, Caleb and Toby have been working the past few weeks. I had heard the rumors but never thought they were true, never thought it was her. I think I am still trying to wrap my head around the two of them." Veronica said.

"Believe me … we are still trying to do that and we've known for almost a year now but he had been such a help over the last few weeks, it's helping the idea." Ella answered.

"You guys are okay with them?" Veronica questioned.

"When we first found out, we were not happy, not one bit. There was yelling and fighting. Mike actually punched him so I wouldn't." Byron said.

"Was she the reason he left Rosewood to go to Hollis?"

"Yep and I am kinda ashamed to admit now that I was the reason he lost his job at Hollis. I thought he was bad for her, now … I just want her healthy and happy, if that is with him then … okay."

"How's Spencer?" Ella inquired.

"She won't sleep, at all and she won't let anyone near her except Toby. We are trying to avoid giving her any sleepaid or opiads given her past issues but the doctors are starting to get worried so we might not have any choice." Veronica said with a sigh.

"I can't even wrap my head around what could have happened to them that would scare her that bad." Byron sighed.

"I think it is going to be a long time before we fully understand what happened to them. We may not ever understand." Ella signed, laying her hand on Veronica's arm as a show of support.

"One of the physiatrist was telling me that it is very possible that the girls will pick one person to latch onto and that will be the one person they talk to. She said that we should encourage it, that it might be the best way for us to understand." Veronica added.

"Have you heard about any of the other girls? Are they having the same reactions?" Byron asked.

"Hannah has been asleep since shortly after Ashley was allowed to see her but would only go to sleep if Caleb was actually in the bed with her. Emily has been talking to her mom and facetiming her dad. The army isn't giving him leave to come see her but they are letting him call alot. Last time I checked she was asleep. Mona and her mom have basically been talking non stop since she got here. They have the other girl that was found with them up on the psych floor so I haven't seen or heard anything about her. I have been walking around checking in on everyone since Peter and I even being in the room seems to upset Spencer."

"That's just right now. Give her some time to decompress and eventually … she'll talk."

"I know. I am going to go check on her. I hope Aria starts to feel better."

"Thanks. Give our love to Spencer."

"I will." Veronica said before heading back down the hall to Spencer's room.

Back in the room, it has been silent. Both Aria and Ezra taking comfort in the moment in their physical contact, even if it was just the two of them holding hands. Aria was trying to sort out her thoughts to be able to begin to try to explain everything that she has gone through.

"When we were down there …. Charles kept us in rooms that were copies of our rooms at home. Right after we were taken, we woke up in our beds, not sure at all how we got there." Aria paused as the tears began to flow. Ezra moved so he was closer to her but kept his distance and a tight hold on her hands. "We were kept in our rooms for days on end, not being able to see each other at all after the first few days. We had tried to escape after Charles made us plan that stupid prom. He kept us locked outside for days without any food or water. After that we didn't see each other until just a few days before we finally got out. We would be brought out of the room one by one and forced to choose one of us to not get water or food or torture. If we didn't choose one, none of them would get anything. Every night, there was three minutes when the generator that powered the bunker, would shut down. One night, we finally had enough. We set fire to Charles room of horrors or memories or whatever. That's what caused the smoke." She paused again, this time both had tears running down their faces. "I remember when we were running towards the doors, I could hear your voice and all I wanted to do was break down the doors to get to you. When I finally saw you, I didn't know what to think. While we were in there, I would just lay in that bed wondering if I would ever get to see you again, would I ever get to lay with you again or get to tell you how stupid I had been acting the last few weeks. Being down there made me realize how much," Aria voice got caught for a moment, not quite sure how to continue. She looked up at Ezra and almost lost it. "How much I can't live without you." That was all it took for Ezra to close the distance between them and for Aria to completely break down. He gathered her into his arms, her entire body fit in his lap and he hugged her close as she sobbed into his chest.

After a few moments Ezra moved them so he was leaning back on the bed with his legs extended with Aria still in his lap. Ezra could see Byron and Ella looking concerned from the window. He mouthed to them that she was okay. They smiled back at him.

"What do we do now?" Aria asked not moving except tilting her head to look Ezra in the eye.

"We move forward at whatever pace you need. Aria, I will be anything you need me to be, just know I love you so much."

"I can't promise that the next few months or years are going to be easy but after all of this … it made me realize how much I need you in my life and by my side. I love you."

Aria turned herself around and wrapped her arms around Ezra's neck before finally kissing him. Both had tears streaming down their faces after emotions flowed between the two of them. Their mouths only separated when one of them needed air. Neither one of them wanted to let go of each other. After being apart for so long, neither one of them wanted to lose the comfort that the other one brought.

Ella and Byron smiled at each other from the other side of the glass window.

"Guess we don't have to worry about him going anywhere …. Think you can handle him as your son-in-law someday?" Ella said with a laugh.

"We still hopefully have a long long time until that happens but in like 5 …. 10 years … yea …. I would be okay with it. I may not have liked him in the beginning but I can't deny how much he loves her."

"I never thought I would hear you say that."

"I never thought I say it."

Aria and Ezra separated and leaned their foreheads together as they caught their breaths. They rearranged themselves so that Ezra was laying down with Aria laying besides him curled up in his side with her head on his chest. He had his arms wrapped protectively around her.

"How about you get some sleep? I'm not going anywhere."

"Yea …. Ezra …. I love you. Thanks for bringing me home."

"You know there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. I love you too."

He looked down at her to give her a kiss and she was already asleep. He placed a quick kiss on the top of her head before settling into the bed and closing his eyes to get some sleep himself.

That was how Ella and Byron found them once they made their way back into the room. Ezra was already fast asleep and Aria had a death grip on his shirt.

"At least they both are getting some good sleep. I could use some of that." Ella said as she sat down on the cot that the nurses had placed at the far end of the room.

"I think knowing that she is taken care of, we can finally get some sleep and start to put all of this behind us." Byron said as he laid down next to her. "Love you Ella."

"Love you too Byron."

Within moments they were asleep, the peace of knowing their daughter was safe, and loved, enough to let them get sound sleep for the first time in what felt like weeks.

* * *

I don't know if I will continue this. Depends on if I get inspiration or if I need a distraction because the new episodes continue to be as bad as they have been. Just wanted to thank everyone for your kind words on this story and my other story One Year Later. I am working on that story next now that I got this one out of my head.

Thanks and please review!


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